


Obvious and Oblivious

by pajama_cats



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Pining
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-01
Updated: 2018-07-01
Packaged: 2019-05-31 15:51:14
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15122768
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pajama_cats/pseuds/pajama_cats
Summary: Subtlety isn’t one of Harry’s strong suits.





	Obvious and Oblivious

Harry always thought himself to be exceptional in just about everything he did. Maybe it was a bit egotistical to think, but he didn't let it get to his head. From grades to magic, he could probably take on a dragon if he wanted to.

What he can’t take on is romance. If anything his parents made it look easy, even if their gushy moments made him a little uneasy as he got older. To be fair it was hard in his case to even talk to his crush. While Tom had natural charm Harry seemed to lack every social communication that didn't sound awkward around him.

It was cruel of faith to have him crushing on someone who was out of his league, yet they were both equals when it came to magic and grades. If there was anything else then Harry wasn't aware of it. As much as he'd love to get to know Tom the last time he talked to him was in the library which was only three days ago.

_The day was going pretty smoothly, Harry had spent most of the day practicing for Quidditch after class while making a beeline to the library. The last thing he needed was to fall back in his studies._

_He recalls hearing something about having everyone having to pick and make their own unique potion. If he were to be honest that bit of information went over his head by Ron’s distracting whispers._

_Harry’s finger touched the edge of the book he needed, but all went to a halt when soft fingers brushed against his, resting atop of his hand._

_Harry’s eyes widened when his gaze locked with Tom who was giving him, what Harry thought, a smile that could melt his heart._

_“Pardon me, but it appears we both had the same idea. How about we share?” Tom spoke softly, guiding Harry’s hand to take the book out. Harry wordlessly nodded his head, giving Tom a small smile while he led them to a secluded table._

_It was odd for a Slytherin to share, let alone want to study with someone outside their house. But of course this was Tom and Harry knew better than assume._

_It was probably just him, but Harry swore after five minutes of sitting next to each other Tom kept getting closer. They were to the point that their shoulders would occasionally bump. It didn't help Harry’s heart when Tom would lean over to whisper small comments._

_At one point Harry gets a delightful laugh from Tom and he has to curse himself out now for not remembering what he joked about exactly. It was at least good enough to make him relax in Tom’s presence._

_They must have spent nearly an hour together in the library, but when it was announced the library was closing it had the both of them sighing. Tom almost looked frustrated by the time cut short, but turned to Harry with a smile anyway. Fake or not, his following words seemed genuine._

_“This has been an enjoyable experience, don’t you think? Thanks for studying with me, Harry.” Tom whispers Harry’s name in way that makes Harry’s stomach do flips, letting his hand linger on the Gryffindor's shoulder while he stands up._

_“Same to you, Tom.” The experience had Harry a flustered mess by the time Tom leaned away from his ear before making his exit. He recalls seeing a wink from Tom just before he's finally out of Harry’s sight._

_Or maybe he just had something in his eye. Harry refuses to get his hopes up and make himself look like a fool._

“You're staring again.” Ron says with a mouthful of food that has Harry wincing and Hermione smacking his arm from the poor tableside manner. It doesn't help Harry’s case when he snaps his head back down to his plate feeling like a deer in the headlights.

“Leave him alone, Ron. Harry will talk to him when he's ready.” Hermione speaks softly, placing a hand on top of Harry’s and squeezing it reassuringly. It's embarrassing, but at the same time a relief that his friends are supportive of his crush.

“I'd rather take on a dragon.” Harry sighs, idly moving his fork around his plate. At least then he’d have a fighting chance.

“I don't think Hagrid would appreciate that.” Ron chimes in.

“I know, they're very misunderstood creatures.” Harry finally manages a smiles deciding now would be a good time to retire to his room before Hermione can point out that they just changed the subject. It's not something he's particularly eager to talk about, and after a day filled with studying, lying in bed sounds like the best idea he's had all day.

If Harry had looked back he would have caught Tom’s gaze.

*******  
  
The next few days weren’t as eventful as Harry would like them to be but he figured no news is good news for the most part. But he’d at least take the time to make his weekly letter to his parents at least a tad thrilling, though the exciting letters were mostly about quidditch.  
  
So it was a nice surprise to Harry when he ran into Luna heading towards the Owlery as well. Luna for the most part was quiet, only speaking up when she wanted to fill in the silence. It could be awkward at times, but her calm presence was always welcomed.  
  
“My father always seems so happy when I write to him, it’s hard to put the quill down when I get a letter from him.” Luna hums happily watching an owl fly away with her message.  
  
“My mom gets the same way.” Harry recalls the stack of letters his mother sent him, most being of praises towards him or her gushing about his accomplishments. Not that he minds the package of positivity, but at least she can’t see his embarrassment.  
  
“Oh,” Harry pauses at the small peck he receives from Hedwig. “And it’s nice to see Hedwig too.” Harry laughs lightly, smiling at the owl who now seems satisfied with his answer. Once the letter is given to Hedwig, the owl is now on its way, saving Harry from the assault of playful pecks.

Luna seems as if she’s going to speak, though her mouth instantly closes that momentarily confuses Harry. He wants to ask what’s wrong, but the sound of footsteps has stolen their attention.  
  
“Luna, Harry.” Tom greets before he’s fully at the top of the tower, whose presence in a feather filled room almost makes Harry want to laugh. It was more puzzling than amusing to see. From what rumors told about Tom he rarely sent letters and his affection towards animals were unknown due to a lack of interest and housepet.  
  
Harry shifts at the way Tom’s eyes crinkle up when he smiles towards him, the unwanted feeling of being flustered now adding on to his stomach full of butterflies.  
  
Luna nods towards Tom despite his attention being on Harry and decides to give the two some privacy. Harry is suddenly aware of her absence, wanting to follow after her and tell her that skipping out of the tower probably _wasn’t_ the safest idea, but with Tom blocking the exit it makes it hard to get by him without getting into his comfort zone.  
  
“Something wrong, Harry? You seem quite flushed.” There’s amusement in Tom’s voice, something that makes Harry feel embarrassed even though he had no reason to be.  
  
“If I were to be honest I’m a bit surprised to see you here.” Harry smiles slightly, letting his gaze wander around the room. It was like an owl’s paradise.  
  
“Just curious about the tower is all, it’s always an adventure just being at Hogwarts.” Tom’s smile never wavers, giving Harry some relief that the Slytherin looked so at peace. There’s something that Harry feels as if Tom is leaving out since he’s well known for discovering secrets of Hogwarts, but Harry decides not to push it which could possibly ruin the good mood between them.  
  
“That’s true.” Harry returns the smile, watching owls flutter around the tower. “Do you happen to have an owl yourself?” He asks, turning to Tom who looks, if anything uneasy by the question.  
  
“I’m more into reptiles.”  
  
“Oh, do you..” Harry’s question dies down with each step Tom takes towards him. He wants to ask if Tom happened to have a pet, anything to keep their casual chitter chatting up, but finds it hard to do with Tom in his personal space.  
  
Harry’s head ducks down when Tom runs a hand through his hair. His fingers run so softly through his dark locks that it barely registers the Gryffindor that Tom is barely inches away from his face. There are so many questions that run through Harry’s head as to _why_ he’s doing that and if something _else_ was going to happen or-  
  
“There’s a feather in your hair. Well, was.” Tom’s eyes flicker with something Harry can’t place his finger on, however the crashing thought that he probably looked like a feathery dork rings too loudly in his head for him to concentrate on Tom.  
  
“T-thanks.” Harry inwardly curses himself for stuttering. Tom looks almost _pleased_ by his reaction that makes Harry want to blame Hedwig for the feather, even though it could be any owl there. But it was his own fault for not noticing so he can’t throw all the blame on an innocent owl.

“I should go catch up with Luna, yeah.” Harry smiles apologetically, or at least tries to in the state he’s in. Tom looks displeased by the answer, which really does make Harry consider staying, but he doesn’t trust his own tongue anymore.

“ _Harry_ -”  
  
“Catch you later, Tom!” Harry doesn’t bother looking back because he knows if he did it’d only make him want to stay. Fortunately, Tom doesn’t chase after him when he rushes down the stairs and is surprised to find Luna waiting outside for him. It’d be comforting if his mind didn’t linger on the encounter with Tom.  
  
“You're much like a bird.” Luna doesn't elaborate, something she doesn't tend to do, but Harry raises an eyebrow at the comment. Luna gives Harry a knowing smile, leaving the feathery tower as Harry trails behind.

“Is that supposed to be a compliment?” Harry asks with a small smile, humor in his tone despite how loudly his heart is beating. He'd like to believe it is one anyway.

Luna doesn't bother looking at Harry, eyes staring up at the owls gliding through the air. “You fly away from someone wanting to get close to you.”

Apparently it wasn't.

*******  
  
It took Harry some time to suppress his shame and embarrassment, but quidditch was the perfect distraction, especially with the next match around the corner. If it weren’t for that and his classes he’d prefer to hide out in his room for a few more days.  
  
The current match was at least thrilling with Harry neck to neck with the opposite team’s Seeker for the golden snitch. It was stressful trying to get the golden ball, but sometimes amusing, especially now when it had the other team’s seeker crashing into their own teammate.  
  
Harry grinned taking advantage of the other team’s misfortunate, speeding up on his broom, but in the end ultimately flipping upside down on his broom to catch the golden snitch. He breathed out a sigh of relief as the crowd of students cheered while Harry still hung onto his broomstick with tangled legs, golden snitch gripped tightly in one hand.

Among the crowd Harry’s grin wavers when he spots, who he believes is, _Tom_ of all people looking down at him. He’s not cheering, but he gives Harry his trademark smirk that is enough to cause Harry to fall off his broom. Some people gasp, but Harry hardly sees it as a problem since he wasn’t far off the ground anyway.  
  
With the help of some teammates Harry is quickly up on his feet and the crowd is roaring once more, yet instead of basking in glory Harry is too busy seeing where Tom went to. Maybe he was just imagining things or his eyesight was getting worse.  
  
  
Later that evening Harry retired to his room after the excitement from the Gryffindor house wore down. The day finally caught up with Harry, who didn’t even bother removing his glasses when he flumped his exhausted form onto his mattress with a relieved sigh.  
  
But to Harry’s discomfort the mattress felt oddly lumpy.

The Gryffindor suddenly sat up, letting his hands roam around on his bed until his fingers stilled on a hard surface. Carefully, Harry brought the item into eyesight staring down at a rectangular box wrapped with fancy Slytherin colored wrapping with an envelope attached behind the ribbon, that was now slightly crumpled.  
  
If it weren’t for the fact that this week’s opponent was the Hufflepuff house he’d be even more alarmed. The only amusement he finds in the situation is the fact that the box escaped Ron’s curiosity, who’s already passed out on his own bed. Considering the last time Harry had an unknown box tainted with a love potion he can see how Ron’s curiosity drained away from any surprises left for Harry.  
  
Harry’s curiosity however, remained the same as always. Eager fingers opened the envelope, scanning the message. Color immediately ran to his face with eyes carefully rereading the message once more.  
  
_“Congratulations on your win, Harry. I heard you’re fond of sweets so I bought you these. I’d like to personally congratulate you on your win tomorrow night at eight, in the Clock Tower Courtyard. -Tom M. Riddle”_

Fortunately his state of mind and eyesight were just fine.  
  
*****  
  
** The note could have been easily ignore, effortless torn up and thrown away. And yet..  
  
Harry finds himself heading to the Clock Tower Courtyard anyway. Every step was filled with excitement and anxiety. Hermione and Ron questioned his odd behavior throughout the day, but Harry couldn’t find it in himself to tell anyone where he was headed. There was a moment when he considered telling Luna, someone who wouldn’t spread where he was off to and _who_ he was going to see, but he had nothing to fear. Even if he was heading towards his own death he wouldn’t tell anyone where he was going for his own reasoning.  
  
But this was Tom, someone who he believes he can trust, but the message still bothers Harry as to _why_ he’d want to congratulate him on a simple win. Perhaps Tom was one to go the extra mile when you got closer to him, so Harry kept the amusingly cheerful thought in mind while heading towards the courtyard.  
  
The courtyard wasn’t as nice as it usually was in the daylight, in fact almost the opposite. It wasn’t entirely creepy but still remained peaceful. And to Harry’s relief Tom was already waiting for him, seemingly distracted by stargazing.  
  
“Tom..?” Harry spoke up approaching Tom with caution. The caution was turned to ease as soon as Tom turned to him with a pleased expression.  
  
“Harry, you came.” Tom wasted no time striding over to the Gryffindor, but his voice didn’t match his words as if he expected Harry would come anyway.  
  
“I wouldn’t blow you off after you’re nice gesture.” Harry smiled slightly, taking hesitant steps to Tom. “Thank you for the candy, it’s a good start to.. Our friendship.” It felt awkward finishing it like that, but truth be told Harry wasn’t exactly sure _what_ they are. He could almost compare their relationship to Neville and Luna. They didn’t exactly hang out as much as he did with Ron and Hermione, but they were still on a friendship basis.  
  
Tom let out a frustrated sigh. Alright, so maybe he was wrong about them being friends.  
  
“As smart as you are I would think that you’d at least be familiar with how subtle I’ve been.” Tom huffed out a laugh while Harry stood there unsure if he should be offended or not.

“I suppose I should just get to the point. You're very smitten with me, are you not?” It's said so calm and casual that Harry has to take a double check. He expects Tom to mock him or smirk at the reaction, but instead he's met with a soft smile, an expression Harry’s never seen Tom made.

Except to him.

If the butterflies could stop now that'd be great.

“What makes you say that?” Harry chooses the oblivious route and hopes his voice didn't waver. It was bad enough that the tip of his ears felt as if they were burning.

“You've been painfully obvious about it. I thought I was being obvious too, but in your eyes I wasn’t.” Tom lets out a soft laugh that makes Harry want to go jump off the edge of the tower just to save himself the embarrassment.

“But I'd be lying if I didn't find it endearing.” It's spoken so softly Harry almost doesn't catch it. He'd believe it was his imagination too if Tom wasn't cornering him against the wall.  
  
“Just.. To confirm, you feel the same way?” Harry asks slow and carefully, just to absolutely make sure their feelings were mutual. Tom seems to find the question amusing, holding his head down while letting out a laugh.  
  
“ _Yes,_ Harry, I do. Do you want me to write it in the stars for you?” Tom teases with a grin and takes out his wand, which makes Harry think he’d quite literally do so.  
  
“No! No, it’s as clear as it can be now, thanks.” Harry finds himself laughing as well, holding his head down and shaking it lightly. “I’m ridiculous.”  
  
“In a way, yes, you are.” Tom lets his wand rest under his Harry’s chin, bringing them to eye level. “But I’m still fond of you anyway.” Tom’s wand is put away safely in his robe and his hands now rest on either side of Harry’s face, holding him still for a soft kiss.    
  
If Harry knew kissing Tom would be this nice he’d kick himself ages ago for his own cluelessness.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm new to the fandom and this ship, here's my contribution hope it wasn't too rushed and turned out alright, ahhh 
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
